Do you guys ever have “aha” moments in the kitchen? I mean when you look at seemingly unrelated ingredients and somewhere within the depths of your subconscious, your mind makes a connection? Well, this recipe was my “aha” moment.
See, last weekend Stephen and I went to NC and, on our last day, my parents served us the BEST Carolina pulled pork from this tiny hole-in-the-wall called Smokie’s (If you’re living in the Cary/Apex/Morrisville area you need to go STAT!). Because my parents are amazing, they also let us bring a container-full home with us and, obviously, I knew I had to use it for a recipe here on the blog. Well, after getting home and being completely exhausted, I searched through my pantry and fridge and had a bit of an epiphany.
I had been planning on making a somewhat authentic version of Chilaquiles, but realized I could swap the chicken for pork and the tortilla strips for kettle chips and have a Southern/Mexican infusion dish! And while I don’t believe I have ever paired these two cuisines before, I will definitely be doing it in the future. This dish is rich and savory with the creaminess of the cheese, the smokiness of the adobo, and the crunchiness of the chips. But thing that takes this dish over the top? The addition of a fried egg AND the Gouda/cheddar cheese sauce from this post.
Basically, this recipe is the antithesis of health… but if I’ve learned anything it’s that life is all about balance. So for all of the veggies there should definitely be an equal serving of carby goodness (which, seems to be a theme this week). To make this yummy dish, simply dice an onion and a few small golden potatoes and sauteé in a skillet until the onions are translucent and the potatoes are soft. Then, add bell peppers, pre-cooked pork (or whatever leftover meat you have on hand), and some spices and let cook over a low heat so the flavors can meld together.
Before you are ready to serve, fry an egg (or one egg per person) and set aside. Then, crush up the kettle chips, drizzle with the cheese sauce and top with the fried egg! Serve immediately!
- 4 small golden potatoes (diced)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 2 bell peppers (I used one yellow and one orange)
- 1 tsp. adobo
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 cup pre-cooked BBQ pork
- 1 TBS. of your favorite BBQ sauce
- Kettle Chips for serving
- Cheese sauce (I used the one from this recipe)
- Eggs (one per person)
- In a skillet, add the onion and butter and cook until the onions are translucent. Then, add the finely diced onion and your spices and adobo and cook until soft (this should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the pork (or pre-cooked meat of your choosing) and bell peppers and let warm over a medium-low heat.
- Once you are ready to serve, crumble your chips into the hash and top with cheese sauce.
- Then, fry up your eggs (I did this in 2 TBS of oil) and serve immediately!